Outside My Windowby Nikki Gray

How is it there is laughter outside my windowThat I hear banter outside my windowLife carrying on outside my windowAs if they too weren't trapped in this causality loop of hatred, racism, and deathAs if their skin, like mine, kissed by the sunwasn't also a bulls-eyea black dot in a white worldwaiting to be fired upon, choked outbroken, beaten, killed

How is it the streets are silentThat the wails of anguished mothers, fathers,brothers, sisters, sons and daughtersdo not pierce the air, drowning us in their sorrowsToo many forced to nurse their pain voicelessHow is it that black blood is so easily white-washed awayAs if it was never spilledAs if it didn't matter

How is it that today looks like yesterdayThat progress looks like an illusion we foolishly believed inand the changes made only temporary band-aids to a wound in need of surgeryHow is it that the sacrifice of our ancestors has been forgottenTheir struggle forgottenTheir hardship forgottenThe lessons learned forgottenHow is it today looks like yesterdayThat we've gone backwardsinstead of moving forward

How is it the storm hasn't been noticedthe dark clouds rolling inThunder gathering strengthits force anger boiling overLightning striking all in its pathHow is it the alarms haven't soundedthat the signs haven't been notedthat the danger is being ignoredUntil... it is too late

Nikki Gray from Ann Arbor, MI, is a singer, songwriter, and poet currently residing in Atlanta, GA.

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